Therapeutic device including acoustic sensor

ABSTRACT

A therapeutic device comprises a therapy electrode that includes a substrate, a conductive layer disposed on a lower surface of the substrate, an electrically conductive gel reservoir configured to release an electrically conductive gel onto a surface of the conductive layer, and an acoustic sensor coupled to the therapy electrode. The acoustic sensor is configured to acoustically couple to a body of a subject to which the therapy electrode is applied and to detect sounds indicative of a state of health of the subject. The therapeutic device is configured to transmit data regarding the sounds detected by the acoustic sensor to an external system for processing and analysis.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 120 as a continuationof U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/314,799, titled “THERAPYELECTRODE INCLUDING ACOUSTIC SENSOR,” filed on Jun. 25, 2014 and issuedas U.S. Pat. No. 9,955,938 on May 1, 2018, which in turn claims priorityunder U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No.61/839,693, titled “THERAPY ELECTRODE INCLUDING ACOUSTIC SENSOR,” filedon Jun. 26, 2013. Each of these Applications is herein incorporated byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

Aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure are directed tomedical therapy systems, and more particularly, to electrode systemssuch as medical electrodes including one or more acoustic sensors andsystems for analyzing heart sounds detected by the one or more acousticsensors.

2. Discussion of Related Art

Cardiac arrest and other cardiac health ailments are a major cause ofdeath worldwide. Various resuscitation efforts aim to maintain thebody's circulatory and respiratory systems during cardiac arrest in anattempt to save the life of the victim. The sooner these resuscitationefforts begin, the better the victim's chances of survival. Theseefforts are expensive and have a limited success rate, and cardiacarrest, among other conditions, continues to claim the lives of victims.

To protect against cardiac arrest and other cardiac health ailments,some at-risk subjects may use a non-invasive bodily-attached ambulatorymedical monitoring and treatment device, such as the LifeVest® wearablecardioverter defibrillator available from ZOLL LifeCor Corporation, asubsidiary of ZOLL Medical Corporation. To remain protected, the subjectwears the device nearly continuously while going about their normaldaily activities, while awake, and while asleep.

SUMMARY

In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, there isprovided a therapeutic device comprising a layer configured to deliver atherapy to a subject and an acoustic sensor on the device and coupled tothe layer. The acoustic sensor may comprise a three axismultiple-channel MEMS accelerometer. The acoustic sensor and associatedelectronics may be configured to provide an indication of whether thetherapeutic device has been correctly oriented on a subject. Theacoustic sensor may comprise a three-channel accelerometer.

In some embodiments, the therapeutic device comprises a therapyelectrode comprising a conductive layer configured to deliver thetherapy to the subject. The therapy electrode may be configured toselectively apply a defibrillation shock to the subject and/or toprovide electrical pacing of a heart of the subject. The therapyelectrode may be configured to monitor an ECG of the subject. In otherembodiments, the therapy comprises a defibrillation pulse. In someembodiments, the therapy electrode further comprises an electricallyconductive gel reservoir configured to release an electricallyconductive gel onto a surface of the conductive layer. The acousticsensor may be mechanically coupled to the layer, and it may beelectrically coupled to the layer. The acoustic sensor may beacoustically coupled to the surface of the conductive layer through acap housing the conductive gel reservoir. The acoustic sensor may beadhered to an internal surface of the cap. The acoustic sensor may beadhered to an upper wall of the cap. The acoustic sensor may be coupledto a system configured to record signals indicative of sounds producedby a heart of a patient. The therapeutic device may further comprise aconnector or signal conductor electrically coupling the acoustic sensorto a circuit board coupled to the therapeutic device, the connector orsignal conductor coupled to the therapeutic device with sufficient slackto provide for the therapy electrode to flex. In other embodiments, theslack may be provided by the extending connector along amulti-dimensional path.

In some embodiments, the therapeutic device includes an adhesive layerconfigured to adhere the device to the subject.

In some embodiments, the therapeutic device further comprises acontroller configured to prompt the subject to provide a verbal responseprior to delivery of a therapy, in some embodiments a defibrillationpulse, and to halt delivery of the therapy responsive to the voice ofthe subject being detected by the acoustic sensor. The controller may beconfigured to differentiate between the voice of the subject and a voiceof a person other than the subject detected by the acoustic sensor. Thecontroller may be configured to perform different actions responsive todetection of the voice of the subject by the acoustic sensor anddetection of the voice of the person other than the subject by theacoustic sensor.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, there isprovided an electrode assembly comprising a substrate, and anelectrically conductive layer disposed on the substrate. Theelectrically conductive layer forms an electrode portion of theelectrode assembly. The electrically conductive layer has a firstsurface configured to be placed adjacent a patient's skin. The electrodeassembly further comprises an impedance reduction system configured todispense an electrically conductive gel onto the first surface of theelectrically conductive layer in response to an activation signal, andan acoustic sensor disposed on the electrode portion of the electrodeassembly and acoustically coupled to the electrically conductive layer.The electrode assembly may further comprise at least one ECG sensingelectrode configured to monitor an ECG of the patient.

The acoustic sensor may comprise a three axis multiple-channel MEMSaccelerometer. The acoustic sensor may comprise a three-channelaccelerometer. In some embodiments, a first channel of the three-channelaccelerometer is configured to monitor sounds produced by a heart of thepatient, a second channel of the three-channel accelerometer isconfigured to monitor a respiration of the patient, and a third channelof the three-channel accelerometer is configured to monitor movement ofthe patient.

In some embodiments, the acoustic sensor is configured to beelectrically coupled to a system configured to record signals indicativeof sounds produced by a heart of the patient. The system may be furtherconfigured to analyze the signals indicative of the sounds produced bythe heart of the patient. The system may be further configured to warnthe patient responsive to the sounds produced by the heart of thepatient being indicative of an abnormal cardiac condition of thepatient.

In some embodiments, the impedance reduction system includes aconductive gel reservoir configured to releasably store an amount of theelectrically conductive gel to be dispensed onto the first surface ofthe electrically conductive layer in response to the activation signal.The acoustic sensor may be acoustically coupled to the electricallyconductive layer through a cap enclosing the conductive gel reservoir.The acoustic sensor may be mechanically coupled to an internal wall ofthe cap. The acoustic sensor may be disposed on an upper internal wallof the cap.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, there isprovided a method of monitoring physiological parameters of a subject.The method comprises monitoring heart sounds of the subject using anacoustic sensor physically coupled to a therapeutic device such as atherapy electrode or a defibrillation electrode and monitoring at leastone additional parameter associated with a state of the subject usingthe acoustic sensor, the at least one additional parameter including oneor more of a parameter associated with respiration of the subject,gastrointestinal sounds of the subject, snoring of the subject, and bodymovement of the subject.

In some embodiments, the at least one additional parameter furtherincludes body position of the subject. The parameter associated withrespiration of the subject may include one of sounds of respiration ofthe subject and movement of a chest of the subject. Monitoring at leastone additional parameter associated with a state of the subject maycomprise monitoring two or more additional parameters associated with astate of the subject.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, there isprovided a method of monitoring physiological parameters of a subject.The method comprises providing a therapeutic device such as a therapyelectrode or a defibrillation electrode having at least one acousticsensor acoustically coupled to the therapeutic device, the at least oneacoustic sensor being configured to monitor heart sounds of the subject,and to further monitor at least one additional physiological parameterof the subject, the at least one additional physiological parameterincluding one or more of a parameter associated with respiration of thesubject, gastrointestinal sounds of the subject, snoring of the subject,and body movement of the subject.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. In thedrawings, each identical or nearly identical component that isillustrated in various figures is represented by a like numeral. Forpurposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in everydrawing. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates a wearable medical device, such as a wearabledefibrillator;

FIG. 2A is a plan view of an electrode portion of a therapy electrodeassembly that may be used with the wearable medical device illustratedin FIG. 1;

FIG. 2B is a functional block diagram of an impedance reduction systemthat may be included in the electrode portion of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 2C is an isometric view of another embodiment of an electrodeportion of a therapy electrode assembly that may be used with thewearable medical device illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 2D is an exploded view of the electrode portion of FIG. 2C;

FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram of an electrode assembly that includesECG sensing electrodes, a therapy electrode, and redundant impedancereduction systems in accordance with another aspect of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram of an electrode assembly that includesECG sensing electrodes, a therapy electrode, and redundant impedancereduction systems in accordance with another aspect of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 4 illustrates the manner in which the electrode assembly of FIG. 3Amay be worn on the body of a subject.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects and embodiments of the present invention are not limited inapplication to the details of construction and the arrangement ofcomponents set forth in the following description or illustrated in thedrawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of beingpracticed or of being carried out in various ways. Also, the phraseologyand terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and shouldnot be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,”“having,” “containing,” “involving,” and variations thereof herein ismeant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereofas well as additional items.

FIG. 1 illustrates a non-invasive bodily-attached ambulatory medicalmonitoring and treatment device 100 (also referred to herein as awearable medical device), such as a LifeVest® wearable cardioverterdefibrillator available from ZOLL Medical Corporation. As shown, thewearable medical device 100 includes a harness 110 having a pair ofshoulder straps and a belt that is worn about the torso of a subject.The harness 110 is typically made from a material, such as cotton, whichis breathable, and unlikely to cause skin irritation, even when worn forprolonged periods of time. In some embodiments, the wearable medicaldevice 100 may include a plurality of ECG sensing electrodes 112 thatare attached to the harness 110 at various positions about the subject'sbody and electrically coupled to a control unit 120 via a connection pod130. The plurality of ECG sensing electrodes 112, which may bedry-sensing capacitance electrodes, are used by the control unit 120 tomonitor the cardiac function of the subject and generally include afront/back pair of ECG sensing electrodes and a side/side pair of ECGsensing electrodes. Additional ECG sensing electrodes may be provided,and the plurality of ECG sensing electrodes 112 may be disposed atvarying locations about the subject's body.

The wearable medical device 100 also includes a plurality of therapyelectrodes 114 a, 114 b that are electrically coupled to the controlunit 120 via the connection pod 130 and which are capable of deliveringone or more therapeutic defibrillating shocks to the body of thesubject, if it is determined that such treatment is warranted. In otherembodiments, the therapy electrodes may provide other forms of therapy,such as electrical pacing of a subject's heart as needed or electriccurrent to stimulate nerves as a part of Transcutaneous Electrical NerveStimulation (TENS) therapy. As shown, the plurality of therapyelectrodes includes a first therapy electrode 114 a that is disposed onthe front of the subject's torso and a second therapy electrode 114 bthat is disposed on the back of the subject's torso. The second therapyelectrode 114 b includes a pair of therapy electrodes that areelectrically coupled together and act as the second therapy electrode114 b. The use of two therapy electrodes 114 a, 114 b permits a biphasicshock to be delivered to the body of the subject, such that a first ofthe two therapy electrodes may deliver a first phase of the biphasicshock with the other therapy electrode acting as a return, and the othertherapy electrode may deliver the second phase of the biphasic shockwith the first therapy electrode acting as the return. In someembodiments, the belt of the harness 110 is positioned higher on thetorso of a subject than is illustrated in FIG. 1 so that the pluralityof ECG sensing electrodes 112 and the plurality of therapy electrodes114 a, 114 b are generally disposed in a plane intersecting thesubject's heart. In some embodiments, any one or more of the ECG sensingelectrodes 112 and therapy electrodes 114 a, 114 b may include anadhesive layer, for example, an electrically conductive adhesive, tofacilitate holding the electrodes in a proper position on the subject.

The connection pod 130 electrically couples the plurality of ECG sensingelectrodes 112 and the plurality of therapy electrodes 114 a, 114 b tothe control unit 120, and may include electronic circuitry. For example,in one implementation the connection pod 130 includes signal acquisitioncircuitry, such as a plurality of differential amplifiers to receive ECGsignals from different ones of the plurality of ECG sensing electrodes112 and to provide a differential ECG signal to the control unit 120based on the difference therebetween. The connection pod 130 may alsoinclude other electronic circuitry, such as a motion sensor oraccelerometer by which subject activity may be monitored.

In some embodiments, the therapy electrodes 114 a, 114 b may bemulti-purpose electrodes. For example, under control of the control unit120, the therapy electrodes 114 a, 114 b may deliver a defibrillationshock to a subject and may provide electrical pacing of a subject'sheart or electrical current as a part of TENS therapy as needed.

As shown in FIG. 1, the wearable medical device 100 also includes a userinterface pod 140 that is electrically coupled to the control unit 120.The user interface pod 140 may be attached to the subject's clothing orto the harness 110, for example, via a clip (not shown) that is attachedto a portion of the interface pod 140. Alternatively, the user interfacepod 140 may simply be held in a person's hand. In some embodiments, theuser interface pod 140 may communicate wirelessly with the control unit120, for example, using a Bluetooth™, Wireless USB, ZigBee, WirelessEthernet, GSM, or other type of communication interface. The userinterface pod 140 typically includes a number a number of buttons bywhich the subject, or a bystander may communicate with the control unit120, and a speaker by which the control unit 120 may communicate withthe subject or the bystander. For example, where the control unit 120determines that the subject is experiencing cardiac arrhythmia, thecontrol unit 120 may issue an audible alarm via a speaker (not shown) onthe control unit 120 and/or the user interface pod 140 alerting thesubject and any bystanders to the subject's medical condition. Thecontrol unit 120 may also instruct the subject to press and hold one ormore buttons on the control unit 120 or on the user interface pod 140 toindicate that the subject is conscious, thereby instructing the controlunit 120 to withhold the delivery of one or more therapeuticdefibrillating shocks. If the subject does not respond, the device maypresume that the subject is unconscious, and proceed with the treatmentsequence, culminating in the delivery of one or more defibrillatingshocks to the body of the subject. In some embodiments, thefunctionality of the user interface pod 140 may be integrated into thecontrol unit 120.

The control unit 120 generally includes at least one processor,microprocessor, or controller, such as a processor commerciallyavailable from companies such as Texas Instruments, Intel, AMD, Sun,IBM, Motorola, Freescale and ARM Holdings. In one implementation, the atleast one processor includes a power conserving processor arrangementthat comprises a general purpose processor, such as an Intel® PXA270processor and a special purpose processor, such as a Freescale™ DSP56311Digital Signal Processor. Such a power conserving processor arrangementis described in co-owned U.S. Pat. No. 8,904,214, titled SYSTEM ANDMETHOD FOR CONSERVING POWER IN A MEDICAL DEVICE, which is incorporatedby reference herein in its entirety. The at least one processor of thecontrol unit 120 is configured to monitor the subject's medicalcondition, to perform medical data logging and storage, and to providemedical treatment to the subject in response to a detected medicalcondition, such as cardiac arrhythmia. The control unit 120 alsoincludes a display (not shown), for example, a touch screen display (notshown), through which the subject may receive messages and interact withthe wearable medical device. The wearable medical device 100 may includeadditional sensors 117, other than the ECG sensing electrodes 112,capable of monitoring the physiological condition or activity of thesubject. For example, sensors capable of measuring blood pressure, heartrate, thoracic impedance, pulse oxygen level, respiration rate, heartsounds, and the activity level of the subject may also be provided.

It has been discovered that the analysis of the sounds 101 made by asubject's heart due to electro-mechanical activity of the heart mayprovide valuable information regarding the state of health of thesubject's heart. This information may be used in conjunction with or inplace of ECG data to provide, for example, an indication of possibleproblems with a subject's heart or of a potential impending cardiacevent such as cardiac arrest. The analysis of the sounds of a subject'sheart may also be monitored over longer periods of time, for example,days, weeks, or months, to identify whether the subject's cardiaccondition is improving or worsening. Examples of systems and methods foranalyzing the sounds from a subject's heart and the information suchanalysis may provide are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,302,290,7,668,589, and 8,409,108, each of which are incorporated herein byreference in their entireties.

Thus, in some embodiments, in addition to or in place of ECG sensingelectrodes 112, the wearable medical device 100 may include one or moreacoustic sensors or audio transducers 260 (shown in FIG. 3A) configuredto detect sounds made by the subject's heart. The acoustic sensor(s) oraudio transducer(s) 260 may be provided on or within one or moreportions of the wearable medical device 100. The acoustic sensor(s) oraudio transducer(s) 260 may be disposed within portions of the harness110 or within or coupled to one of the ECG electrodes 112 or therapyelectrodes 114 a, 114 b. The acoustic sensor(s) or audio transducer(s)260 may be disposed on or within electrodes which are disposed on any ofthe front, rear, or side of a subject. The acoustic sensor(s) or audiotransducer(s) 260 may be disposed within electrodes which are attachedto the harness 110 and held against the skin of a subject wearing thewearable medical device 100 and/or disposed within adhesive electrodeswhich are adhered to the skin of the subject (see FIG. 4). The acousticsensor(s) or audio transducer(s) 260 may be disposed within electrodesincluding multiple integrated components including, for example, ECGelectrodes, therapy electrodes, and impedance reduction systems or maybe included in an otherwise single function electrode.

In some embodiments it may be desirable to locate the acoustic sensor(s)or audio transducer(s) 260 proximate to or in contact with the skin of asubject so that heart sounds may be more easily detected than if theacoustic sensor(s) or audio transducer(s) 260 were spaced from thesubject's body. It may be desirable that the acoustic sensor(s) or audiotransducer(s) 260 are acoustically coupled to the subject's heart evenif the acoustic sensor(s) or audio transducer(s) 260 are not in directphysical contact with the subject's skin. In some embodiments it may bedesirable to locate the acoustic sensor(s) or audio transducer(s) 260proximate to or in contact with the skin of a subject proximate thesubject's heart, for example, proximate the left ventricle of the heart,so that the heart sounds are not attenuated by travel through asignificant portion of the subject's body. In some embodiments, anelectrode portion of a therapy electrode assembly in a wearable medicaldevice 100 may be located above a subject's heart in contact with thesubject's skin when the wearable medical device 100 is worn. Thus, insome embodiments, the acoustic sensor(s) or audio transducer(s) 260 maybe disposed on or in the electrode portion of a therapy electrodeassembly which is arranged to be located proximate the subject's heart,for example, proximate the left ventricle of the subject's heart.

The control unit 120 may include a memory unit to record data regardingthe heart sounds. In some embodiments, recorded heart sound data may bestored on a removable memory card, for example, an SD card. A processorwithin the control unit may analyze the heart sounds for indications ofpotential problems with the subject's heart. Alternatively oradditionally, the data regarding the heart sounds may be transmitted toan external system for processing and analysis. This transmission mayoccur through a wired connection to an external system or wirelessly,through, for example, Bluetooth™, Wi-Fi, or through a cellular network.

Feedback 102 may be provided to the subject through a display or speakeron, for example, the control unit 120 if the analysis of the subject'sheart sounds 101 provides an indication of a problem with the subject'sheart or of a potential for an impending cardiac event, for example,cardiac arrest. The results of the analysis of the subject's heartsounds may also be accessed through an external device, for example, ahome computer through a web site or through a display of an externalsystem to which the heart sound data may have been transmitted foranalysis.

In healthy adults, there are two normal heart sounds, commonly referredto as S1 and S2. A third heart sound, commonly referred to as S3 (alsocalled a protodiastolic gallop or ventricular gallop), may be indicativeof a problem with a subject's heart when present. For example, insubjects over 40 years old, S3 has been associated with an abnormaldiastolic filling pattern. The presence of S3 may signal cardiacproblems like a failing left ventricle as in dilated congestive heartfailure. A fourth heart sound, commonly referred to as S4 (also called apresystolic gallop or atrial gallop), is indicative of a problem with asubject's heart when present. For example, S4 is often associated withan increased left ventricular stiffness. Heart murmurs may also bepresent in some subjects and may indicate cardiac problems.

The acoustic sensor(s) or audio transducer(s) 260 and associatedrecording and analysis systems may be configured to detect and recordany one or all of S1, S2, S3, and S4. Other heart sound parameters whichmay be monitored and recorded by the heart sound recording andmonitoring system may include any one or more of electromechanicalactivation time (EMAT), percentage of EMAT (% EMAT), systolicdysfunction index (SDI), and left ventricular systolic time (LVST). EMATis generally measured from the onset of the Qwave on the ECG to theclosure of the mitral valve within the S1 heart sound. Prolonged EMAThas been associated with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF, being a measure of how much blood is being pumped out of the leftventricle of the heart with each contraction). % EMAT is EMAT divided bythe dominant RR interval. % EMAT is related to the efficiency of thepump function of the heart. SDI is a multiplicative combination of ECGand sound parameters (EMA, S3, QRS duration and QR interval). SDIpredicts left ventricular systolic dysfunction with high specificity.LVST is defined as the time interval between the S1 and the S2 heartsounds. It is the systolic portion of the cardiac cycle. LVST has someheart rate dependence, and tends to be approximately 40% (range 30-50%)of the cardiac cycle but is affected by disease that produces poorcontractility and/or a low ejection fraction.

Data regarding any one or more of the above referenced heart soundparameters may be recorded and displayed in, for example, trend chartsthat may be accessed by a subject or care provider through the controlunit 120 or an external device. Additionally, control limits regardingany one or more of these heart sound parameters may be set. The controlunit 120 or an external system to which the heart sound data istransmitted may compare the observed (or calculated) heart soundparameters with the control limits and if any one or more of the controllimits are violated a warning may be provided to the subject, forexample, through a speaker or display of the control unit 120 or userinterface pod 140.

In some embodiments, the acoustic sensor(s) or audio transducer(s) 260and associated recording and analysis systems may be configured todetect and identify the voice of a subject wearing the wearable medicaldevice so that a patient voice signature may be used as a responsemechanism. The processor within the control unit 120 may be trained torecognize the voice of the subject during an initial learning period,using speech recognition and voice analysis methods known in the art.The control unit 120 may then prompt the subject, for example, through aspeaker or a display, to indicate whether the subject is conscious bysaying a predetermined word or phrase. For example, where the controlunit 120 determines that the subject is experiencing cardiac arrhythmia,the control unit 120 may issue an audible alarm via a speaker (notshown) on the control unit 120 and/or the user interface pod 140alerting the subject and any bystanders to the subject's medicalcondition. The control unit 120 may also instruct the subject to speak aword or a phrase, which is detected by the acoustic sensor(s) or audiotransducer(s) 260 and transmitted to the control unit 120, to indicatethat the subject is conscious, thereby instructing the control unit 120to withhold the delivery of one or more therapeutic defibrillatingshocks. If the subject does not respond, the device may presume that thesubject is unconscious, and proceed with the treatment sequence,culminating in the delivery of one or more defibrillating shocks to thebody of the subject.

The control unit 120 may be configured to differentiate between thevoice of the subject and the voice of a person other than the subject,for example, a bystander, first responder, or professional EMT. If, inresponse to a prompt, a person speaks, the control unit 120 may analyzethe voice to determine whether the voice is that of the subject oranother. If it is the voice of another, the control unit 120 may repeatits instructions to the subject to speak a word or a phrase. The controlunit may modify the instructions to request silence from other personsaround the subject so that the subject may comply with the instructions.In addition, if, in response to a prompt, the subject does not respondby speaking, the control unit 120 may monitor a signal from the acousticsensor(s) or audio transducer(s) 260 to determine if other persons arepresent proximate the subject. If the control unit 120 detects a voiceof a person indicative of the presence of the person proximate thesubject, the control unit 120 may issue instructions, for example,through a speaker or a display, requesting the person to take someaction, for example, to provide the control unit 120 with informationregarding the state of the subject through an interface of the controlunit 120, to call for assistance, to indicate when professionalassistance has arrived, or perform one or more other actions. Thecontrol unit 120 may alter a course of treatment, for example, postponeor abort the delivery of one or more defibrillating shocks to the bodyof the subject, provide data about the subject and his condition, if,for example, the presence of a bystander is detected by detection of thevoice of the bystander, and the bystander responds to a prompt by thecontrol unit 120 indicating that professional assistance has arrived toassist the subject. The control unit 120, upon identification of thepresence of professional assistance, may also move into an alternatemode of operation in which the ambulatory medical monitoring andtreatment device 100 operates as support for the medical assistancebeing provided.

As discussed above, to provide protection against cardiac arrest,subjects that use a wearable medical device, such as a wearabledefibrillator, generally wear the device nearly continuously while theyare awake and while they are asleep. Because the wearable medical deviceis worn nearly continuously, dry electrodes are typically used for boththe plurality of ECG sensing electrodes 112 and the plurality of therapyelectrodes 114 a, 114 b for comfort and to prevent irritation of thesubject's skin. Where it is determined that one or more defibrillatingshocks are to be delivered to the body of the subject and the subject isnon-responsive, the control unit 120 sends a signal to the plurality oftherapy electrodes 114 a, 114 b causing them to release an impedancereducing gel prior to delivery of one or more defibrillating shocks. Theimpedance reducing gel reduces the impedance between the conductivesurface of the therapy electrodes and the subject's skin, therebyimproving the efficiency of the energy delivered to the subject andreducing the chance of damage (for example, in the form of burning,reddening, or other types of irritation) to the subject's skin.

FIG. 2A is a plan view of an electrode portion of a therapy electrodeassembly that includes an impedance reduction system and which may beused with a wearable medical device, such as the wearable defibrillatordescribed above with respect to FIG. 1. FIG. 2B is a functional blockdiagram of the impedance reduction system that is included in theelectrode portion of the therapy electrode assembly shown in FIG. 2A.The impedance reduction system, when activated, dispenses an impedancereducing (i.e., electrically conductive) gel onto the exposed surface ofthe electrode portion of the therapy electrode assembly that, in use, isplaced most proximate to the subject's body. The electrode portion 200is a multiple layer laminated structure that includes an electricallyconductive layer 202 (not visible in FIG. 2A, but disposed on the bottomsurface of the embodiment of the electrode portion 250 shown in FIG. 2D)that forms the electrode and an impedance reduction system 201. In use,the electrically conductive layer is disposed adjacent the subject'sskin, although the conductive layer need not make direct contact withthe subject, as portions of the harness 110 (FIG. 1) and/or portions ofthe subject's clothing may be present between the electricallyconductive layer and the subject's skin. As shown in FIG. 2A, theimpedance reduction system 201 is disposed on a side of the electrodeportion 200 (i.e., the top-side shown in FIG. 2A) that is opposite theside on which the conductive layer is formed.

The impedance reduction system 201 includes a plurality of conductivegel reservoirs 210, each of which has a respective gel delivery outlet220, that are fluidly coupled to a fluid channel 230, and a fluidpressure source 240. The fluid pressure source 240 is fluidly coupled tothe fluid channel 230, and when activated by an activation signal,forces a fluid, such as nitrogen gas, into the channel 230. Thehydraulic pressure of the fluid from the activated fluid pressure source240 in the fluid channel 230 forces the conductive gel stored in each ofthe plurality of gel reservoirs out of the plurality of gel deliveryoutlets 220 through apertures formed in the electrically conductivelayer and onto the exposed surface of the electrically conductive layerthat, in use, is placed most proximate to the subject's body. Theapertures in the electrically conductive layer are generally alignedwith the plurality of gel delivery outlets 220 so that when activated,the electrically conductive gel is dispensed onto the exposed surface ofthe electrode portion that is disposed most proximate to the subject'sbody. Further details regarding the construction of the electrodeportion 200 are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,134 (hereinafter “the'134 patent”) which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIG. 2C illustrates an electrode portion 250 of a therapy electrodeassembly including an acoustic sensor 260. FIG. 2D is an exploded viewof the electrode portion of FIG. 2C. The exposed conductive surface ofthe electrode portion is dimensioned to be capable of delivering largeamounts of energy to a subject, for example, about 200 Joules, such asto perform defibrillation. The acoustic sensor 260 is illustrated inFIG. 2C as disposed within a cap 215′ enclosing one of the conductivegel reservoirs 210 of the electrode portion 250. The cap 215′ is formedof a sound conducting material, for example, a hard plastic. The cap215′ is illustrated as transparent in FIG. 2C to better illustrate theposition of the acoustic sensor 260. The acoustic sensor 260 ismechanically and acoustically coupled to an upper internal wall of thecap 215′ with an adhesive, for example, epoxy or another form of glue,or by one or more mechanical fasteners, for example, one or more snaps,tabs, or other fasteners known in the art. A space is provided betweenthe conductive gel reservoir 210 within the shell 215′ and the acousticsensor 260. The acoustic sensor 260 is positioned and arranged to beacoustically coupled to the body of a subject to which the electrodeportion 250 is applied. The acoustic coupling of the acoustic sensor 260to the body of a subject to which the electrode portion 250 is appliedmay be through the shell 215′ and the substrate 280. The acousticcoupling may be facilitated by the minimization or elimination of anygaps between the acoustic sensor 260 and shell 215′ and between theshell 215′ and the substrate 280 of the electrode portion 250. Aprotective cover 290 which may be formed from, for example, foam rubber,may be provided to cover the upper face of the electrode portion 250.

The cap 215′ housing the acoustic sensor 260 may in some embodiments beshaped differently than caps 215 enclosing the conductive gel reservoirs210 of the electrode portion 250 which do not include the acousticsensor 260. For example, the cap 215′ including the acoustic sensor mayhave an upper wall which is flattened to facilitate attachment of theacoustic sensor 260. The caps 215 which do not include acoustic sensorsmay, in contrast, have substantially rounded upper walls.

A connector or signal conductor 270 which may include, for example, aplurality of wires, a ribbon cable, a coaxial cable, or other forms ofelectrical signal conductors known in the art provides electricalconnection between the acoustic sensor 260 and a circuit board 275coupled to the electrode portion 250. In some embodiments, the signalconductor is coupled, for example, by an adhesive or one or moremechanical fasteners to one or more portions of the electrode portion250. As illustrated in FIG. 2C, the signal conductor 270 may be providedwith some slack by, for example, being routed along a multi-dimensionalpath such that it allows for flexure of the electrode portion 250without becoming detached from the acoustic sensor 260 or circuit board275. The provision of slack in the signal conductor may be especiallydesirable in electrode portions 250 which have been designed forenhanced flexibility, for example, one or more of the electrode portionsdisclosed in co-owned U.S. Pat. No. 8,880,196, titled FLEXIBLE THERAPYELECTRODE, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

In other embodiments, the acoustic sensor 260 may be located on or inother areas of the electrode portion 250. For example, as illustrated inFIG. 3B, the acoustic sensor 260 may be disposed on a portion of theflat substrate 280 of the electrode portion 250. The acoustic sensor 260may in alternate embodiments be disposed in any location where it mayacoustically couple to the body of a subject. The electrode portion 250may include a single acoustic sensor as illustrated, or may includemultiple acoustic sensors 260.

The acoustic sensor 260 may comprise any device that may detect soundsfrom a subject's heart and provide an output signal responsive to thedetected heart sounds. In some embodiments the acoustic sensor 260comprises a microphone. In some embodiments the acoustic sensor 260comprises an accelerometer. The acoustic sensor 260 may comprise amicroelectromechanical system (MEMS) accelerometer. In some embodimentsthe acoustic sensor 260 comprises a multi-channel accelerometer, forexample, a three-channel accelerometer. The acoustic sensor may comprisea three-channel accelerometer configured to sense movement in each ofthree orthogonal axes. An example of an accelerometer which may beutilized in some embodiments is a LIS344ALH accelerometer, availablefrom STMicroelectronics. The acoustic sensor 260 and associatedelectronics may be configured to monitor any one or more of a subject'srespiration, a subject's heart sounds, a subject's position, and anactivity level of a subject. The acoustic sensor 260 and associatedelectronics may additionally or alternatively be configured to monitorother sounds which may be indicative of a state of health of a subject,for example, gastrointestinal sounds or the sounds of snoring or theabsence of such sounds, for example, to provide an indication of thesubject experiencing sleep apnea. The acoustic sensor 260 may providesignals indicative of the subject's respiration on a first channel,signals indicative of the subject's heart sounds on a second channel,and signals indicative of the subject's position on a third channel. Inother embodiments, the different channels may be utilized to providesignals indicative of more than one physiological parameter or otherparameter associated with the state of the subject. For example, in oneembodiment, the acoustic sensor 260 may provide signals indicative ofthe subject's heart sounds on a first channel, signals indicative of thesubject's respiration on a second channel, and signals indicative of thesubject's body position on any or all of the first, second, and thirdchannel. It should be appreciated that dependent on the underlyingparameter that is being monitored, multiple signals related to theparameter being monitored may be received over a single channel or anumber of different channels. The acoustic sensor 260 and associatedelectronics may also in some embodiments be configured to detect soundsassociated with the release of conductive gel from the conductive gelreservoirs 210 of an electrode portion 250 of a therapy electrodeassembly and provide an indication of the release of the conductive gelto a controller or alarm system associated with the therapy electrodeassembly.

Further, when including an accelerometer, the acoustic sensor 260 andassociated electronics may be configured to provide an indication ofwhether a therapy electrode assembly including the acoustic sensor hasbeen correctly placed on a subject. The acoustic sensor 260 andassociated electronics may be configured to detect, for example, bysensing the direction of the pull of the Earth's gravity, theorientation of the acoustic sensor 260, and of the therapy electrodeassembly in which it is included. The acoustic sensor 260 and associatedelectronics may thus be utilized to provide an indication of whether thetherapy electrode assembly has been correctly placed on a subject orwhether it has been incorrectly placed, for example, in an invertedposition.

The acoustic sensor 260 and associated electronics may be configured todetect whether CPR is being performed on the subject and to output asignal responsive to the detection of the performance of CPR. Further,electronics associated with the acoustic sensor 260 may be configured toanalyze the motion associated with the performance of CPR, for example,the rate and depth of chest compressions. In some embodiments, anacoustic sensor 260 may be provided on a portion of a therapy electrodeassembly, for example, a tab extending from an electrode portion 250, oron a position of a wearable medical device 100, which would be proximatethe xiphoid 116 of a subject when worn by the subject, as illustrated inFIG. 1. Such placement of an acoustic sensor would facilitate measuringthe depth of chest compressions during the administration of CPR to thesubject in addition to detecting whether CPR is being performed. Theelectronics associated with the acoustic sensor 260 may be configured toprovide feedback to a person administering the CPR through, for example,one or more indicators or through a speaker to adjust the rate and/ordepth of chest compressions to provide for a more effectiveadministration of CPR.

Applicants have appreciated that there may be instances where it wouldbe desirable to have redundancy in the impedance reduction systemdescribed above. Electrodes including redundant impedance reductionsystems are disclosed in co-owned U.S. Pat. No. 8,406,842 which isincorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

FIG. 3A illustrates an electrode assembly that combines one or more ECGsensing electrodes, a therapy electrode, and redundant impedancereduction systems in a single integrated electrode assembly inaccordance with a further aspect of the present invention. As shown, theelectrode assembly 400 includes a pair of ECG sensing electrodes 412 a,412 b for monitoring the cardiac function of a subject. The electrodeassembly 400 further includes a therapy electrode 414, and at least twoimpedance reduction systems 301, 302. The pair of ECG sensing electrodes412 a, 412 b may be electrically separated from the therapy electrode414, for example, by an insulator. It should be appreciated that inother embodiments, the electrode assembly 400 may include only a singleECG sensing electrode, while in other embodiments, more than two ECGsensing electrodes may be provided. In such alternative embodiments, thenumber and placement of ECG sensing electrodes may vary from that shownin FIG. 3A. In yet a further embodiment, the integrated electrodeassembly may include additional sensors 416, other than the one or moreECG sensing electrodes and the therapy electrode, that are capable ofmonitoring other physiological parameters of a subject, such as bloodpressure, heart rate, thoracic impedance, pulse oxygen level,respiration rate, heart sounds, etc. The additional sensors 416 mayinclude, for example, one or more acoustic sensors 260.

The electrode assembly 400 may be worn on the subject's body such thatone of the pair of ECG sensing electrodes 412 a, 412 b is disposedapproximately in the center of the subject's torso, and the other of thepair of ECG sensing electrodes 412 a, 412 b is disposed on the side ofthe subject's torso. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the electrodeassembly 400 may be worn on the front of the subject's torso, so thatthe ECG sensing electrode 412 a is disposed approximately in the centerof the subject's chest, and the other ECG sensing electrode 412 b isdisposed on the subject's side. A second electrode assembly 400′ may beworn on the back of the subject's torso to provide a second pair of ECGsensing electrodes 412 a′, 412 b′, so that one of the ECG sensingelectrodes (for example, ECG sensing electrode 412 a′) of the secondpair of ECG sensing electrodes 400′ is disposed approximately in thecenter of the subject's back, and the other ECG sensing electrode (forexample, ECG sensing electrode 412 b′) of the second pair of ECG sensingelectrodes 400′ is disposed on the subject's side opposite the other ECGsensing electrode (for example, ECG sensing electrode 412 b) of thefirst pair of ECG sensing electrodes 412 a, 412 b, as shown in FIG. 4.Such an arrangement provides a front-to-back pairing of ECG sensingelectrodes (for example, 412 a, 412 a′) and a side-to-side pairing ofECG sensing electrodes (for example, 412 b, 412 b′). It should beappreciated that other placements for the first electrode assembly 400and the second electrode assembly 400′ may alternatively be used. Forexample, the first electrode assembly 400 may be placed on one side ofthe subject's torso, and the second electrode assembly 400′ placed onthe other side of the subject's torso to provide side-to-side pairingsof ECG sensing electrodes.

The first and second electrode assemblies 400, 400′ may include anelectrically conductive adhesive layer so that the electrodes assembliesmay be directly attached to the subject's skin, or alternatively, theymay be attached to the harness as depicted in FIG. 1 and held inposition against the torso of the subject. Where only one of theelectrode assemblies includes an acoustic sensor 260, the electrodeassembly may be positioned so that the acoustic sensor is disposedproximate the subject's heart.

In further embodiments, acoustic sensors 260 for monitoring any of thevarious parameters described herein, for example, sounds associated witha subject's heart or respiration, orientation of a subject, or motionassociated with the administration of CPR to a subject, etc., may beincluded in electrodes having shapes and materials of constructiondifferent from those depicted in, for example, FIGS. 2C and 2D. Forexample, acoustic sensors may be included in electrodes which consistessentially of a conductive layer and a conductive adhesive or adhesivefilm for retaining the electrode on the skin of a subject. Electrodeswhich may include acoustic sensors 260 having the functionalitydescribed herein are not limited to any particular form or type.

Having thus described several aspects of at least one embodiment of thisinvention, it is to be appreciated various alterations, modifications,and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Suchalterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to be part ofthis disclosure, and are intended to be within the scope of theinvention. Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings are byway of example only.

What is claimed is:
 1. A therapeutic device comprising: a therapyelectrode including: a substrate; a conductive layer disposed on a lowersurface of the substrate; an electrically conductive gel reservoirconfigured to release an electrically conductive gel onto a surface ofthe conductive layer; and an acoustic sensor coupled to the therapyelectrode, the acoustic sensor configured to acoustically couple to abody of a subject to which the therapy electrode is applied and todetect sounds indicative of a state of health of the subject, thetherapeutic device configured to transmit data regarding the soundsdetected by the acoustic sensor to an external system for processing andanalysis.
 2. The therapeutic device of claim 1, wherein the therapeuticdevice is configured to wirelessly transmit the data regarding thesounds detected by the acoustic sensor to the external system.
 3. Thetherapeutic device of claim 2, wherein the sounds indicative of thestate of health of the subject include heart sounds of the subject. 4.The therapeutic device of claim 3, wherein the therapeutic devicefurther comprises a control unit configured to analyze the heart soundsfor indications of potential problems, compare observed heart soundparameters with control limits, and provide a warning to the subjectresponsive to any one or more of the control limits being violated. 5.The therapeutic device of claim 3, wherein the sounds indicative of thestate of health of the subject further includes one or more ofgastrointestinal sounds, sounds indicative of the subject experiencingsleep apnea, and sounds indicative of respiration of the subject.
 6. Thetherapeutic device of claim 3, wherein the acoustic sensor is furtherconfigured to detect an activity level of the subject.
 7. Thetherapeutic device of claim 3, wherein the acoustic sensor is configuredto provide signals indicative of more than one physiological parameterof the subject.
 8. The therapeutic device of claim 3, further comprisinga plurality of ECG sensing electrodes configured to monitor cardiacfunction of the subject.
 9. The therapeutic device of claim 8, whereinthe plurality of ECG sensing electrodes are combined with the therapyelectrode in a single integrated electrode assembly.
 10. The therapeuticdevice of claim 9, wherein the integrated electrode assembly furtherincludes one or more sensors capable of monitoring one or more of bloodpressure, heart rate, thoracic impedance, pulse oxygen level, andrespiration rate of the subject.
 11. The therapeutic device of claim 3,wherein the therapy electrode is configured to selectively apply atleast one of a defibrillation shock to the subject, electrical currentas a part of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) therapy,and electrical pacing of a heart of the subject.
 12. The therapeuticdevice of claim 3, further comprising electronics associated with theacoustic sensor, wherein the acoustic sensor and associated electronicsare configured to provide an output indicating whether the therapyelectrode has been correctly oriented on the subject.
 13. Thetherapeutic device of claim 2, wherein the sounds indicative of thestate of health of the subject comprise gastrointestinal sounds of thesubject.
 14. The therapeutic device of claim 2, wherein the soundsindicative of the state of health of the subject comprise soundsindicative of the subject experiencing sleep apnea.
 15. The therapeuticdevice of claim 14, wherein the therapeutic device is configured toprovide an indication of the subject experiencing sleep apnea responsiveto detecting the sounds indicative of the subject experiencing sleepapnea.
 16. The therapeutic device of claim 14, wherein the soundsindicative of the subject experiencing sleep apnea comprises sounds ofsnoring.
 17. The therapeutic device of claim 2, wherein the soundsindicative of the state of health of the subject comprise soundsindicative of respiration of the subject.
 18. The therapeutic device ofclaim 1, wherein the acoustic sensor is further configured to provide asignal indicative of body position of the subject.
 19. The therapeuticdevice of claim 1, further comprising electronics associated with theacoustic sensor, wherein the acoustic sensor and associated electronicsare configured to detect sounds associated with the release of theelectrically conductive gel from the electrically conductive gelreservoir.
 20. The therapeutic device of claim 1, further comprisingelectronics associated with the acoustic sensor, wherein the acousticsensor and associated electronics are configured to detect whether CPRis being performed on the subject and to output a signal responsive todetection of the performance of CPR.
 21. The therapeutic device of claim20, wherein the acoustic sensor and associated electronics areconfigured to provide feedback to a person administering the CPR toadjust a rate and/or depth of chest compressions to provide for a moreeffective administration of CPR.
 22. A therapy electrode systemcomprising: a substrate; a conductive layer disposed on a lower surfaceof the substrate; an electrically conductive gel reservoir configured torelease an electrically conductive gel onto a surface of the conductivelayer; and an acoustic sensor coupled to the therapy electrode, theacoustic sensor configured to acoustically couple to a body of a subjectto which the therapy electrode is applied and to detect sounds made bythe subject's heart; and a control unit coupled to the acoustic sensorand configured to wirelessly transmit data regarding the sounds made bythe subject's heart to an external system for processing and analysis.23. The therapy electrode system of claim 22, wherein the acousticsensor is further configured to detect sounds indicative of the subjectexperiencing sleep apnea.
 24. The therapy electrode system of claim 23,wherein the acoustic sensor is further configured to provide anindication of the subject experiencing sleep apnea responsive todetecting the sounds indicative of the subject experiencing sleep apnea.25. The therapy electrode system of claim 24, wherein the soundsindicative of the subject experiencing sleep apnea comprises sounds ofsnoring.
 26. The therapy electrode system of claim 22, wherein theacoustic sensor is further configured to detect sounds indicative ofrespiration of the subject.
 27. The therapy electrode system of claim22, wherein the acoustic sensor is further configured to detect one ormore of gastrointestinal sounds, sounds indicative of the subjectexperiencing sleep apnea, and sounds indicative of respiration of thesubject.
 28. The therapy electrode system of claim 22, wherein theacoustic sensor is further configured to detect an activity level of thesubject.
 29. The therapy electrode system of claim 22, wherein thetherapy electrode is configured to selectively apply at least one of adefibrillation shock to the subject, electrical current as a part ofTranscutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) therapy, andelectrical pacing of the subject's heart.